Black History Month, February 2026

Please join us for the USF Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration on Thursday, January 29th. USF students from the Marshall Riley Learning Living Community, the USF Debate Team, and the Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good will read and perform excerpts from King’s book of sermons, Strength to Love, along with an excerpt from his other works. The participating students include:

Wynton Cook (MRLLC, Politics Major) 
Madiha Kursheed (USF Debate Team, Public Health)
Anthony Jackman (McCarthy Center, Politics Major)
Chisom Okorafor (USF Debate Team, Politics Major)
Nissi Jim Rakesh (USF Debate Team, Computer Science and Economics)
Qiana Woods (MRLLC, Business Analytics)
Facilitated by INSJ King-Jones Fellow Dr. Ronald Sundstrom

The event is presented by the Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice and co-sponsored by the Office of Antiracism, Diversity, and Inclusion, BASE, the Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good, and the USF Debate Team. 

Calling all community members of the Black Diaspora at USF: this is your night to shine! Join us for an unforgettable evening filled with games, live performances, and karaoke that bring us ALL together. Celebrate Black History Month with the beauty, power, and diversity of Blackness in a space that’s all about YOU!

On display at Gleeson Library throughout the month of February, this showcase of the Black Horror genre in literature, film and tv, traces the history of Black contributions from acting to directing. From Night of the Living Dead to Sinners, the contributions of Black creatives have reflected an evolving perception of status, storytelling and self-determination that continues to influence the genre as well as society at large.

Black Faith in the Bay series will visit Black houses of worship that are 100+ years old and have a legacy of social justice work. All are USF community members are welcome; students will enjoy lunch after service at a Black owned restaurant.

Must Register to Attend! 

The times listed are the scheduled departure times from campus to arrive promptly for service.

Don't know what to wear? Dress modestly but if in doubt, just wear USF gear!

QUESTIONS?
REV. RONNÉ SIMS (rsims3@usfca.edu)
DEDE ADOTE (dadote@dons.usfca.edu)

Clip, Cut, Connect is an on-campus program that offers free, culturally responsive haircuts for USF students while creating a welcoming space for BIPOC students to talk about mental health and build community connection.

Clip, Cut, Connect is a monthly program. Future dates include: March 23 and April 27!

Black History Month Game | February 4 vs. LMU

USF Athletics invites the campus community to join us on February 4 as the Dons take on Loyola Marymount University in our annual Black History Month Game. This special evening recognizes and celebrates the rich history, culture, and contributions of the Black community within USF Athletics and beyond. Through in-game tributes and storytelling, we honor the past, uplift the present, and inspire the future—while cheering on Dons basketball at War Memorial Gym.

USF's Gellert Family Business Center celebrates Black History Month with a special Bold Leaders, Bold Spirits program moderated by different founders and leaders of the community. Join to hear the legacy of Paula Harrell of P. Harrell Wines, Glenn Thomas of John Lee Hooker Legacy Spirits, and Melanie M. Shelby of Enelalma Tequila. 

Join us for the public unveiling of 'The Bill Russell Way' on USF main campus before the inaugural Bill Russell Impact Classic men's basketball game vs. Oregon State.

Join us on Thursday, Feb. 12 — what would have been Bill Russell’s 92nd birthday — for the Inaugural Bill Russell Impact Classic, a historic celebration of one of the greatest to ever play the game and a proud USF Don.

In commemoration of Black History Month, the African American Studies Minor is excited to showcase the work of Black faculty across the University through a series of short 10-minute presentations ("flash talks"). Through this event, we aim to to gather the USF community for a glimpse at the complex and diverse scholarship of our professors.

Cheryl Derricotte’s art practice often weaves stories from the Black diaspora into glass, paper, textiles and public art. Derricotte is particularly adept at conveying difficult histories in a visually pleasing manner to invite a reckoning with the past. This evening’s illustrated lecture will provide examples from her portfolio over the past decade. There will be time for Q & A at the conclusion of the presentation.

USF'S Gellert Family Business Center welcomes Terrence Cummings, a serial entrepreneur who has built a true portfolio life. Speaking from experience, he will share how he has built and maintains this way of living. Rather than focusing on a single path, Terrence has combined family business and leadership into a dynamic, evolving career. Join us to learn how he continues to grow and adapt. 

Connect with USF community members at the annual Black Joy Parade in Oakland. Black Alumni Society will have a booth at the parade festival, where we'll give out swag and information on USF.

Come explore the Fillmore and learn about its rich history! We'll bus together to check out In The Black, a Black-led Marketplace and the African American Art & Culture Complex.  

Come PUNK OUT! at the Cultural Center with DIY tote bags, blast Black punk music and dive into how Black creativity has shaped punk culture. This event is a joint celebration of Black History Month and Geek Week.

Come join us to create a transparent, accountable space where Black students can hear directly from university leadership, ask informed questions, and understand how USF is responding to the shifting national landscape while continuing to support Black student success.

Do you love watching anime or maybe you're just curious? Join us for a Black History Month edition of Geek Week as we spotlight amazing Black characters in anime! Come geek out, explore new shows, and chat about all things anime! 

Delving into a century of genre films that by turns utilized, caricatured, exploited, sidelined, and finally embraced them, HORROR NOIRE traces a secret history of Black Americans in Hollywood through their connection to the horror genre. Adapting executive producer Robin Means Coleman’s seminal book, HORROR NOIRE will present the living and the dead, using new and archival interviews from scholars and creators; the voices who survived the genre’s past trends, to those shaping its future.

Includes interviews with Ernest R. Dickerson, Meosha Bean, Ashlee Blackwell and Robin R. Means Coleman.

BASE Interns introduces the fun and informal discussion of what Black Love means and looks like through segments of famous films that portray modern day love, dating, queer and interracial relationships. Join us in the fun open discussions of Black Love while enjoying lite refreshments. 

Test your knowledge of Black history, culture, and iconic moments in a lively and interactive setting. Open to faculty, staff, and alumni, this event promises laughter, learning, and a little friendly competition.

An empowerment, connecting, and healing space that brings together students with the unique experiences of being a Global Majority Womxn-- present, past, future, and expansively. [Global Majority focuses on Black, Indigenous, Latine, Asian, Mixed heritage, and other culturally expansive communities].

Lead by CAPS therapists Dr. Jevon Rice, and Cynthia Villanueva, M.A. 

Melanated Mental Matters is a monthly drop-in space where students come to have open and real talk about diverse topics affecting Black mental health and wellness. Led by CAPS Psychotherapist, Dr. Jevon Rice. Melanated Mental Matters is not group therapy, and you DO NOT have to be a CAPS client to join.
This Month's MMM Topic: Combining Ancestral Roots Therapy and Black History, this space is focused on tapping into our ancestral resilience to help us connect to our own Black intersectional liberation. 

This Wellness Day is designed to center rest, movement, and collective care during Black History Month, recognizing that wellness is an essential part of sustaining excellence, leadership, and long-term impact. Graduate students often operate in high-pressure environments. This event creates intentional space to pause, reconnect, and prioritize well-being through accessible, community-centered wellness activities.

This is an annual event the Eta Sigma Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. hosts highlighting black artists, black joy and the legacy of black art in San Francisco.